Ndora : livestock farmers denounce stifling livestock taxation

SOS Médias Burundi,
Ndora, August 3, 2025 – Livestock traders at the Ndora market in Bukinanyana district, Bujumbura province (west), are sounding the alarm over the sudden increase in district taxes. The new pricing, recently implemented, is jeopardizing the profitability of their businesses. While the local administration defends a measure intended to boost revenue, several livestock farmers denounce embezzlement orchestrated by unscrupulous tax collectors.
The once-bustling Ndora livestock market is now experiencing turbulence. The culprit : the terrible increase in taxes imposed by the Bukinanyana district. The tax on each cattle sold has now increased from 5,000 to 25,000 Burundi francs, while the tax on sheep and goats has risen from 3,000 to 10,000 francs.
« With these new taxes, we are operating at a loss. It is becoming almost impossible to make a profit. We are asking the authorities to revise this law, » confided a farmer we met at the market.
The administration defends Its reform
For its part, the district administration justifies this tax reform by the need to increase local revenues to finance development projects. « Income into the district coffers has doubled since these measures were implemented, » asserts a tax collector, calling on taxpayers to fulfill their obligations for the common good.
Corruption and embezzlement exposed
However, behind this official increase, traders point to serious dysfunctions. « There is theft. » « Some tax collectors are taking advantage of the opportunity to embezzle money instead of remitting it to the district treasury, » complains a visibly exasperated vendor.
Taxpayers are demanding investigations and sanctions against the perpetrators of these irregularities. They are calling for transparent management of district resources and a compromise that will allow public projects to be financed without stifling small rural traders.